


A very...Christmas!

by XSayuriX



Series: Amaranthine [10]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:14:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XSayuriX/pseuds/XSayuriX
Summary: It is Christmas Eve in 2158 and our three favorite couples spend it all differently!While Malcolm and Trip celebrate a rather chaotic Christmas with their two-year-old Charlie, Ian and Shaun spend a rather cold Christmas Eve in a Scottish cottage from Shaun's auntie. Emory and Evander enjoy a very British Christmas down in Guernsey - of course with Sir Chauncey!
Relationships: Evander Graeme/Emory Holt, Ian Hutchison/Shaun Baird, Malcolm Reed/Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Series: Amaranthine [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1438411
Kudos: 3





	1. A very messy Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> I know I uploaded something yesterday already but I couldn't help but give in to the idea of my three favorite couples spending Christmas Eve!  
> Merry Christmas everyone!!

“Trip? Would you mind checking the turkey, please? And – oh gods, clean that mess, please!” The Brit stumbled over the floor as he nearly lost his balance, thanking his fast reflexes that he didn’t actually fall but instead could break his fall. However, the little boy in his arms started crying at the initial shock of falling uncontrollably.  
Malcolm gently brushed his fingers over the little boy’s back, humming a soft melody.

“You okay?”

“Sh- Yes! Now go check the turkey or do you fancy burned meat?”

“Uhm, no…Gee, sorry!” Trip couldn’t suppress the sarcasm, bothered by his partner’s harsh tone. He could hear Malcolm hissing sharply, probably suppressing the urge to cuss and curse at Trip. _So be it,_ Trip thought, still offended, as he bent down to look at the coal oven where the turkey was roasting.  
“Smellin’ good, lookin’ fine…”

“I wish you’d say that to me, Tucker, it’s been a while…” Malcolm set down Charlie, gently caressing his little red cheeks, feeling his burning hot forehead. He leant over the little boy, whispering softly, “Shhh, baby, it’s going to be fine…”

“Are you trying to piss me off completely?” Trip shot, turning the oven off and glared at his partner with a furious glance. Malcolm just smiled wryly while tilting his head to little Charlie.  
“Sorry, I forgot Charlie is an apology to insult my dignity.”

“Trip, are you kidding me? He’s got a fever, please, he needs a bit of quiet! Don’t make this all about yourself!”

“Well, if he needs some quiet, just bring him to bed, he’s got all the quiet in the world there!”

“Family time, Trip. Please. Just stop making an exhibition of yourself, okay? And get the turkey over here, please.” Malcolm saw that Trip was desperately urging to fight back and let his anger take over but he seemed to give in when he put on oven mitts, carefully pulling the turkey out of the oven and placing it on the table. Malcolm in the meanwhile got the gravy from across the room. When he returned to the table, he noticed that Trip was leaning onto the doorframe instead of sitting down at the table.  
“What are you doing? Why don’t you sit?”

“Because, a) I didn’t clean the mess I was supposed to clean. And b) I hurt you. And I can see it in your eyes…”

“I’m fine, Trip.”

“No, you’re not. Now let me clean this sh- stuff! And I’ll give you a proper apology afterwards…” The Southerner grabbed a handkerchief and knelt down, carefully cleaning the floor while looking up at his lover. Malcolm simply seemed perplex by what Trip was doing and thinking. While the Brit was still trying to process the words and deeds of his partner, Trip stood back up, wiping the dust off of his trousers.  
He then proceeded to walk towards his lover, grab his waist and pull him closer.  
“May I say, my love, that you look absolutely stunning today?”

“Trip, I-!”

“No, shush…” Trip noticed the light blush on his lover’s cheeks as he cautiously placed his index finger on Malcolm’s lips. He noticed the surprise and curiosity in his stormy grey eyes, the dark shadows under his cheekbones, the small cuts from stressfully and hastily shaving. He noticed the mess in his hair, the trembling fingers.  
“Oh dearest love…Oh my…”

The Southerner entwined his fingers in the loops of his lover’s trousers, caressing Malcolm’s hips with his thumbs, gently placing a kiss on his cheek. He could hear a soft surprised moan from his lover, then swiftly turned him around and placed his hands on his shoulders, starting to knead the sore muscles.

“Trip, I…Oh, damn…”

“Shush, language…You really needed this, didn’t you? I’m sorry, love…” Trip placed another kiss on Malcolm’s neck before leading him to a chair and daring him to sit down.  
“Now, let me take care of all this, okay? You eat. I haven’t seen you eat that much lately…”

“I wasn’t hungry, darling…And what about Charlie? And – oh, Madeline said that she’ll call soon!”

“Mal, shush now. You stay here and eat. Please. I’ll take care of Charlie and when she calls then so be it. If it’s bad timing we’ll wish her merry Christmas and say we’re busy!” Trip picked up little Charlie who was nearly falling asleep already, whimpering at every little move. He placed a small kiss on the boy’s forehead before he sat down on a chair, taking Charlie in his lap and carefully rocking him back and forth.  
“Shhh, it’s okay, baby boy, it’s okay…I know it hurts, baby…It’ll be fine.”

“Trip…?”

“Yes, love?”

“I love you…I love you from the bottom of my heart…I don’t know what I’d be doing without you…”

“I love you too, darling…And you’d be lost without me, I know!”

“Trip!”

“Just kidding, just kidding…” The Southerner pulled little Charlie closer to his chest as he noticed that the little boy was slowly falling asleep. And just as he thought that the toddler was snoring a little, the comm. panel chirped, announcing the expected call from Madeline Reed…

*


	2. A very eerie Christmas

A soft breeze reddened his cheeks, as he bluntly stared out of the window. Winter had come, it was cold, there was no more to be said. But winter never had bothered him – just know the air cold as ice would cause him sharp pain at every tiny wound on his pale skin. He closed his eyes in order to shut it all out, if only for a second.

“Shaun? Are you coming?” The sound of his partner’s voice cut through his thoughts like a hunting knife cut the neck of a deer. He took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his pounding heartbeat. He wanted to stay in this room for as long as possible.  
“Shaun, love?”

“I’m coming.” Shaun noticed that his voice was breaking and he was praying, praying that Ian wouldn’t notice. It was Christmas, peace and love. Everything was alright. He stepped down the stairs, cautiously, smiling softly as soon as he saw his partner next to the tiny Christmas tree.  
“Hey…”

“Hey, love…C’mere, you look good…”

“Thank you, but I can only reciprocate that!” Shaun pressed a small kiss on Ian’s lips, grabbing his collar a little harder than wanted. Ian seemed to notice the tight grip, a hint of suspicion predominant in his glance.

“Darling, now…You’re grabbing me real tight, huh? How come? You trying to make sure nobody takes me away?” Ian smirked cheekily, gently caressing Shaun’s back. Shaun swallowed the lump in his throat, smiling softly again.

“Exactly! I’ve got to make sure nobody will take you away from me, love…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll stay with you…I won’t ever go!” Ian took a sip from the red wine, grinning proudly, grabbing Shaun’s hand tightly. Shaun froze, losing hold of his expression for a second.  
“What? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Nothing, sorry, I just remembered something…” Shaun mumbled, stumbling across the words as he was talking a little too hastily. He lowered his glance, trying to avoid eye contact with his partner. Ian let out a sigh, smiling softly afterwards.

“What did you remember, love? It seems to be a terrible weight for you, hm? Can I help you, kiss it away maybe…?” The two men exchanged glances, deep dark brown eyes meeting ashy green ones, glowing, sparking, full of passion. It took Shaun another moment to get hold of himself again.

“I…remembered how my uncle used to…He used to spend Christmas Eve drinking too much and shouting at Melly and me…”

“Oh, no! My poor sweetheart, my dearest love…I am so terribly sorry…” Ian cupped his lover’s face firmly, pulling him closer and pressing a strong, passionate kiss on his lips. “But now you’re with me, it’s alright…And, if you want…I can stop drinking!”

Shaun looked him deeply in the eyes, letting out a shuddering breath as a tear rolled down his cheek. He felt Ian’s strong thumb wipe it away, still stared at him as his partner placed another kiss on the tip of his nose, before he dared to speak up.  
“No, please…Don’t worry, it’s a childhood thing, you can drink as much as you want…You’re my partner after all, I trust you far more than my alcoholic uncle!”

Shaun’s voice was breaking again, as strongly as he tried to fight his own emotions. He wanted to mean it, he loved Ian, he wanted to be honest and say it out loud. He loved him. Way too much.

“Partner? Now, that sounds a little distanced, doesn’t it, love…?” Ian’s glance grew cold for a second as he seemed to stare into Shaun’s soul, analyzing every move, every blink of his eye. He raised his hand, stopping in the middle of the movement as his lover flinched, ducking a little.  
“Wha-? What’s wrong, love? Are you alright? I just wanted to turn off the main lights – did I scare you?”

“Oh, nono! Don’t worry, silly me, I must be a little oversensitive – I-I haven’t slept much…”

“Yes, I have noticed…You should sleep more, darling. You get so paranoid when you’re tired, it’s messing up Christmas Eve.” Ian turned away, leaving Shaun tense and cold inside. He strode towards the kitchen, opening one of the top shelves. Shaun couldn’t see much, just that it seemed to be rather small.  
“You’re not looking, are you, love? Turn around!”

“No, no, I’m not looking, don’t worry!” Shaun was now studying the Christmas tree his partner had put up, examining the cute little angel figurines. Ian seemed to remember every time that Shaun appreciated every religious allusion as he, even after studying science thoroughly, was a religious man after all.  
The Scotsman could hear steps approaching him and his expectations were running wild, Ian tended to prepare small surprises, but they were exactly what they were supposed to be: Surprises. And, as much as Shaun hated surprises, he loved the tiny surprises Ian had for him.

“Turn around, love!” Ian mumbled into Shaun’s ear as he hugged him from behind, gently kissing his earlobe before taking a step back so Shaun could turn around. Ian held a small glass figurine with – was that Shaun’s face? And his coat!

“You didn’t…!”

“I did…”

“Oh my – thank you so much, Ian, I love you!” Shaun pressed a kiss onto his partner’s lips, hugging him in response to the present. Within seconds, all of the fear and uncertainty was wiped away.

*


	3. A very merry Christmas (...very British!)

“Eve, close your eyes! Close your eyes, I’m not ready yet!”

“Okay, okay, calm down, Mister Holt!” Evander had his eyes closed as he stood in the doorframe. This year, he had asked Emory to prepare literally everything Christmas-related as he was just not in the mood for it. In fact, Christmas had always been a big deal for him and his cousin York, but he never really liked it. Sure thing, he was a bit of a traditionalist after all but Christmas Eve just seemed to be that one tradition he didn’t feel related to.   
Emory, however, appeared to be more than joyful to take over Christmas preparations. It was a bit of an amusing show for Eve, seeing how his sweetheart would rush around, do this and that, hum Christmas songs all day long, having the time of his life.

“Okay. Superb! Open your eyes, dear!”

Evander did what he was told and wasn’t disappointed. In front of him stood a huge tree with a topping which looked much like snow – what on earth was it? Baubles and small wooden figures decorated the dark-green monstrosity. Emory even had placed the Christian scenario of Jesus’ birth under the tree, consisting of so many small figures.   
Next to the tree, just above the oven, there were stockings as he knew from his childhood. In fact, they were filled to the brim with chocolate and other sweets. Eve turned around, examining the room. Fake snowflakes and an old wooden sleigh were placed around the oven, there were bells hanging from the walls.   
On the table, Evander spotted a whole plate full of mince pies, let alone the massive roast beef in the middle of the table. And, oh, how could he forget, Christmas crackers and the paper crowns!

“Oh my, Emory, you really didn’t spare anything, did you? I absolutely adore it, thank you so much…”

“Oh, but love! You haven’t seen the best of it yet!” Emory turned on his heels and went straight into their bedroom, leaving Evander completely confused. When he came back, he held Sir Chauncey von Snuffles IV – with a Christmas hat on top of his fluffy head.   
“Say merry Christmas, Chauncey!”

The cat let out a muffled meow, his expression more than grumpy and bothered. Still, as he was one of the loveliest and best-behaved cats Evander had ever seen, Chauncey didn’t dare to jump down or scratch Emory.

“Good boy! This is really the cherry on top, Emory! I am seriously amazed, even though I’m not the greatest fan of Christmas, this is absolutely stunning!”

“How can you not like Christmas, darling, I just – I don’t understand!” Emory set down the cat and led Eve to the table. He shook his head, still not believing how, for the love of god, one could not be in a Christmas mood.   
“You know, in the orphanage, Christmas was the main event every year! Presents and decorations and food and the Christmas tree, all of that was absolutely magnificent! And, oh my, the choirs! Every year we’d go to church and sing with the Christmas choirs, oh Eve, it was lovely!”

“I believe it was, and I do support Christmas. We had all those traditions too! I would just leave out the church, but you could guess so…” Evander sat down in the chair, grabbing one mince pie and hungrily stuffing it into his mouth. Emory looked at him reproachfully while he cut the roast beef.

“Not only do you insult my religious beliefs, but you also dare to taste my made-with-love mince pies before I even finished cutting the meat? How dare you!” Emory adopted a feigned disappointed tone but he simply couldn’t be mad at his lover. He knew how hard it was to actually withstand the smell of the mince pies. Plus, he knew that Eve never meant to disrespect him, especially not because of his religion.

“Darling, I would never insult your beliefs. You believe in a god, I don’t. You’re Christian, I’m an agnostic, so what? Did it ever stop us?”

“Oh, Eve, I know! I know, don’t worry…And no, it didn’t…” Emory smiled at his lover while dropping to his chair. What a beautiful Christmas it would be, what a beautiful day. Even though the past few days had been rather stressful and their relationship came off a little poorly lately, they knew it was so worth it. Exactly for this evening.   
“Now, may I serve you mashed potatoes and beef?”

“Why, thank you, Mister Holt!”

“You’re so very welcome, love…It’s beautiful, you know…Having this evening for ourselves now…I love it.”

“Me too, Emory…Christmas Eve is something very intimate, if you ask me. Maybe that’s why I never liked it – I had nobody I wanted to share this intimacy with…” Evander smiled at his lover, raising his glass. Emory responded with the same action, shaking his head with a pleased smile. Christmas Eve was really something special…

*


End file.
